Buyer Beware: 30 Biggest NFL Draft Busts Of The Last Decade

Darren - April 11, 2022

Buyer Beware: 30 Biggest NFL Draft Busts Of The Last Decade

Darren - April 11, 2022

6. Malik McDowell

McDowell never even stepped onto the field for the Seahawks. The second-round pick impressed NFL scouts during his time with Michigan State. Seattle drafted him. But he spent more time in police precincts than on the practice field. First, there was the infamous ATV incident that placed him on the injury reserve list. Then there were multiple drunken arrests with various charges added in.

In short, McDowell is a garbage human being and the Seahawks waived him. After he spent 11 months behind bars, he received his release from jail. Then the Browns signed him because they have no morals when it comes to problematic signings. Police arrested McDowell again for allegedly beating a police officer while naked. Yes, all that made McDowell one of the worst draft selections of the last decade (via Beacon-Journal).

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5. Kevin White

It’s almost unfair that some players carry a bust tag when it wasn’t that they didn’t try. That’s the case for White, whose body broke down after the Bears drafted him. They made him the seventh-overall pick in 2015 after a brilliant campaign with West Virginia. It appeared as though he was an instant NFL starter because he had all of the attributes to succeed (via NBC Sports).

Instead, he went down as one of the worst busts of the decades. White’s injury record was cruel because he lost his rookie year to a fractured leg. Then he suffered a broken leg in his second year and an ankle sprain. White broke down after a single game in his third season. Finally, he had a few games in Year Four but he was no longer the same athlete. It’s a real shame because luck wasn’t on his side.

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4. Dion Jordan

Jordan is one of the worst busts of the last decade and also in history. Miami fans still shudder when they hear his name because he was so bad for them. The former Oregon standout should have been a franchise building block. But instead, he was a disaster of a pick because he spent more time suspended than on the field. It’s a shame but it’s the truth.

The defensive end suffered multiple suspensions because he took violated the NFL’s drug policy. He missed the entire 2015 season after a third test failure. It infuriated the fanbase and his coaches because they had such high expectations for him. In the end, he went to Seattle, where he had a brief renaissance before another suspension after testing positive for Adderall (via Sports Illustrated).

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3. Sam Darnold

It’s a sad reality, but Darnold is a first-round bust. The Jets used the third overall pick of 2018 on the former USC quarterback. Many people forget how young he was when he made his debut. To put it in perspective, a rookie Joe Burrow was older than Darnold when the bust was already in his third season. Meanwhile, Darnold suffered from a lack of weapons and an awful front office (via NBC Sports).

Peyton Manning called Adam Gase a ‘quarterback guru.’ But the former Jets’ coach ruined the confidence of his young star. Darnold infamously “saw ghosts” in one game against the Patriots. However, his stat line doesn’t help him. He had a career interception rate of 3.2 in 2021. Meanwhile, he threw 54 touchdowns and 53 interceptions by the end of that season. Finally, the Jets offloaded their bust to the Panthers.

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2. Johnny Manziel

Manziel won the Heisman Trophy following a great career with Texas A&M. However, he swiftly became an incredibly polarizing figure. Some people thought that he was a future NFL Hall of Famer. Others believed that he was undersized and was too arrogant to succeed. Unfortunately for the Browns, the latter verdict sums up Manziel’s time in the NFL.

He was a complete disaster from beginning to end for Cleveland. They made him a first-round pick in 2014 but he failed to deliver on the field. He threw more interceptions than touchdowns as a turnover machine. Meanwhile, he had even more concerning problems off the field. There were domestic abuse allegations as well as issues with substance abuse. That’s why he’s one of the worst draft busts of the last decade (via Republic World).

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1. Isiah Wilson

Wilson is arguably the worst draft bust of the last decade. He’s also easily the biggest blip in Titans’ franchise recruitment history. The offensive tackle barely saw the field for Tennessee after they signed him in 2020 due to breaching NFL health regulations. Then there was a high-profile arrest after a drunken high-speed pursuit (via USA Today).

His single appearance came in Week 12 in a win over the Colts. But the Titans had enough and traded him to the Dolphins. They swapped seventh-round picks in return for the former Georgia star. However, Wilson failed to report to workouts and they waived him. He cost the Titans millions of dollars in cap money and time. In sum, he was a complete disaster.

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